


The Summers of Stars

by smol_pai



Category: Original Work
Genre: Big Gay Love Story, Change is Scary, Divorce, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, No Smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, They are all gay, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, diversity, idk - Freeform, no editing we die like men, poc characters, she/they supremacy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:40:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29248170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smol_pai/pseuds/smol_pai
Summary: Lennon Maxwell, most people call him Lemon, has gone his whole life thinking of nothing but the bliss of falling in love. He had tried to have girlfriends, but their hands never held his right. Something about it didn't seem right, they always made his heart skip a few beats. But it was never enough for him to truly fall in love. At this point he had believed he might never fall in love, something about it seemed so far and so unattainable.His mother had suggested that he should go visit his dad out in a small city in Maine for the summer. Anything was better than staying with his mom, literally anything. Literally walking around with a hoodie in June would be better. He had thought nothing of it.Until he saw him.((I still have no idea what I'm doing.))
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 2





	The Summers of Stars

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on a fake town in Maine. This is not a Maine hate account.

It was a rainy day; the dripping of water was a good distraction he had thought. It was lighter than he originally believed, little sprinkles enough to maybe get him damp but nothing that would make him severely wet. He should've seen the way the clouds turned grey as he exited the Airport, his dad even commented about it. The cold air ran by him briefly, making him bunch up his shoulders and wrap his arms around himself. He wasn't used to this, and he definitely didn't want to. Yea, Maine. Who even thought this was a good place to live? His dad apparently, thought so, and had moved here 3 months prior. Because of course he had to, hauling up Lemon's favorite truck to this cold and wet town that no one even knew about unless they got lost and needed directions. When his dad told Lemon, he almost snorted out a laugh. For one, he didn't even know where this place was. He had never heard of it; he had barely remembered Maine was even a place you could _live_. Why on earth would a single, sorta young, doctor with a lot of potential want to move out to this lonely place in the middle of the woods? He would never know.

" _It's a quaint place, Lennon. I'm sure you'll like it._ " His dad had said, which made him cringe for multiple reasons. For one, who the heck uses the word "quaint"? And two, he had used his real name which already threw him red flags. No one called him Lennon anymore, ever since his nickname had risen. He thought it fit him way better than "Lennon" ever did. Lemon scowled at him, telling him that it sounded like a place where old people lived. His dad then told him that was exactly why he moved out there, there were a lot of elderly people there and not enough doctors to help them out. Lemon had sighed, why did his dad have to be a good person? And with that, Lemon was packing two suitcases and buying a plane ticket for the summer.

To be honest, there where more reasons as to why Lemon decided to go. He wouldn't have gone just because his dad said it would be cool or whatever, he went to get out of the house. His parents were perfectly divorced and had ended it quite professionally. His dad had come out as gay, and didn't think the marriage would work. His mom thought it would be healthy for them to divorce, and they both held no malice in their heart towards the other. His mother was the one to push Lemon to go anyways. And anything was better than spending another summer in her house, literally anything. Literally walking around still in hoodies in June, was better. Lemon would never tell it to her face, be he secretly despised her. She had always thought she knew everything, and always tried to butt in where she wasn't wanted. He couldn't blame her, she had been single for years after the divorce. But Lemon had always wanted to know if his dad had divorced her for another reason then just his sexuality.

He say a familiar truck pulling up to where he was standing at the Airport. Lemon almost scoffed, dad was late as per usual. Except the man who got out of the car wasn't his dad, he was someone entirely unfamiliar. Lemon almost screamed "stranger danger" if it weren't for the fact the car was, in fact, his dad's. Either this man had killed his dad, stolen his car, and was going to carry out the rest of his plans to kill the Maxwell family, or he was just a friend of his dad's coming to pick him up. He thought the latter, but that didn't stop him from being suspicious. "Who are you?" He asked quietly, squeezing the handle of his suitcase as if the man was going to steal his clothes or something. He would have to pry them from his dead hands if that were the case, Lemon loved his suitcases. Which was weird, he knew, but he decorated them with stickers of where he traveled. It would be like abandoning them if they were stolen from him.

He snapped out of his thoughts when the man spoke, looking away from his suitcases and looking over towards the man. "I'm Dian, I'm your dad's boyfriend." This, _Dian_ , was tall. He had noticeably kind eyes, which made Lemon jealous, people had always told him his eyes looked mean. Lemon was almost envious of the man's clear skin, it was something like nutritious dirt, something that allowed for things to grow. Lemon's was like dried mud, nothing good came from dried mud. He was so busy analyzing the man that he had almost completely forgotten what the other said. _Boyfriend_?!?

"B-Boyfriend?" Lemon sputtered, his dad didn't have a boyfriend! His dad was nerdy and into weird shows about solving crimes where he always noted how cute the main character was. His dad drank milk from the jug and sometimes forgot to do laundry so it overflowed in the laundry basket. "My dad doesn't have a boyfriend... w-where is he by the way?"

"Ah, about that. I know it must be kinda scary for a stranger to pick you, but your dad was caught up at the hospital. It was kinda a in-the-moment decision." Dian explained, itching the back of his neck nervously, yea he should be nervous. Lemon's hand tightened around the handle of his suitcases, why was his dad so busy at the hospital? He scrunched up his face, what a welcome this was. Imagine sending your son to an unknown place and then get him picked up by a complete stranger. 

"Oh... ok." He decided to say instead, unsure how he was supposed to respond to that. He didn't want to be rude to _Dian_ , but he couldn't help the feeling of uneasiness in his stomach. It might just be nerves, yea, it's just nerves.

"Would... you want to put your stuff in the car?" Dian had asked, motioning towards the vehicle that was mentioned. Lemon had nodded, completely unaware of the fact Dian had to take the luggage out of his hands in the first place. He almost jumped out of his skin when Dian grabbed the first suitcase from his hands, instead he wished them good luck in the hands of this untrustworthy stranger. "Here, I'll put these in the back."

"Like back as in 'backseat?'" Lemon asked, not wanting to damage the stickers on his suitcases. Dian had stopped to look at him, before smiling, moving the suitcases to the backseat like Lemon had asked. He fought a smile, maybe Dian wasn't so bad. He had caught the eye of his dad for a reason, after all. "Thank you." He replied, because he had to. It was rude of him not to.

"Anytime Lennon, you wanna hop in? It's a few hours of a drive and I'm guessing you wanna get home to eat dinner." Dian began, opening the truck door on the other side. Lemon had cringed at hearing his real name but opted to stay silent and hop into the familiar truck. God, he had missed it.

"E-everyone calls me Lemon, by the way." Lemon added, taking off his backpack and placing it in his lap. He didn't try to make eye contact with Dian, he didn't think he was ready for that. Dian seemed kind enough to accept that, sliding into the driver's seat quietly. 

"Ah, Lemon's a cool nickname. How'd you get it?" Dian asked, which was normal. Anyone meeting him would ask that question, it just seemed even weirder when your dad's new boyfriend asked the question.

"Oh. Uh, it's a kinda long story..." Lemon mumbled, he wasn't down for a life story right not. 

"We do have around 3 hours in a car..." Dian pressed, which irked Lemon. Why was Dian so interested in getting to know him? Couldn't they just be comfortable with the silence and move on? "Only if you're down to tell me."

 _Well that was chivalrous Dian, thank you so much._ Lemon thought folding his hands around his backpack like someone was going to take it from him. He looked over towards Dian as the car began to move. It was quiet apart form the engine, which seemed louder than necessary but Lemon concluded it was because of the lack of noise from the two men in the truck. "Uh, i think it originated because my name is 'Lennon,'" He began, "The kids couldn't pronounce my name right... i think." 

It wasn't the actual reason, but what Lemon said would hopefully satisfy the information hungry beast that was Dian. Dian had nodded along, smiling a little bit at the story. "It's an interesting name for sure, i didn't believe your dad when he told me." Ah, right. Dad would've talked to Dian about him, it only seemed logical. 

"I was named after my mom's dad i think." Lemon added, looking out the window. They were still in a bigger city, with many stores and cars and people. If this place wasn't as well known, how bad would this place be? 

"So your grandfather?" Dian added, seemingly amused at what Lemon had said.

"No, he's no grandfather of mine." Lemon spat, turning away to look out the window again. 

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know." Of course he didn't. He was a stranger; he didn't need to know the juicy gossip about Lemon's family history. Even so, Lemon felt inclined to give him grace, it's not like dad ever talked about him to Dian. There was no reason to.

"It's okay, we don't talk about it a lot..."

"Yea i know..." Dian laughed, eyes focused on the road ahead. "It seems to be your family's thing."

"What do you mean by that?" That was new. That piqued Lemon's interest. His family never really had a thing, they were just all over the place. They didn't have any real family traditions on the holidays which resulted in multiple different Christmases, each one very different from the last. Nothing stuck with them, everything was always new. They never liked being held down by traditions or peer pressured by dead people. Thanksgiving was never with family, it was watching a movie and then eating the Chinese leftovers from last night. 

"Well, it took your dad a while to start talking about himself and about your family," Dian began, "which didn't bother me because I know frailly can be personal. But it was just weirder because for the first date he only let me talk. I thought he was just a good listener, and didn't want to only talk about himself. But at the same time is was just me, talking about myself." 

"Ah. That's kinda just how he is." Lemon instructed; he knew his dad. He was a quiet person, who didn't like being in the spotlight. "You get used to holding the conversation."

"What? I was gonna say he's the exact opposite!" Dian laughed, which caught Lemon off guard. Why was he laughing? What did he mean? Lemon knew his dad, his dad was a quiet person. Lemon didn't like it when this man who probably knew his dad less than 3 months is talking like he's known him his whole life! "He's a lot louder, i don't know him as well, but he was the only other gay guy in town. I had to go for somebody!" 

"My dad? Louder? Are you sure we're talking about the same person?" Lemon asked, suddenly super nervous that he got kidnapped by a strange man who was dating an entirely different man who was a doctor with a kid named Lennon. Dian smiled over to him, which made Lemon uncomfortable. It was too kind, too soft. It looked nothing like the other smiles he had gotten before. It seemed fake, but every ounce of his being was convinced it wasn't.

"yea. I think it takes a while to finally become yourself..." Dian responded, like he was a therapist or something. "I should know, I'm a therapist. It's kinda how we met."

Oh.

The world is full of surprises.

"Oh, that's cool I guess... " Lemon mumbled, "Aren't there not a lot of people in the town? Who are you really helping?"

"I work out in the city, it's about an hour and a half drive out." He laughed, "But yea, there aren't a lot of people in town." Lemon nodded to that, the conversation dying as fast as it started. He looked out the window again and Dian put on some music, the busy city slowly turning into lush trees and fields. They both content with the amount of information they both gathered and ready to succumb to the silence. 

\----------------

Lemon woke up with a light nudge on his left shoulder, which slowly pulled him from his sleepy state. He blinked a few times, looking over towards to the drivers seat to see his dad. He slowly woke up, sitting up properly as his dad smiled at him. The sun was setting a bit, and the breeze coming in from the opened car door was colder. "Dad?"

"Hiya squirt," His dad smiled, patting his shoulder almost awkwardly. He was never that close with his dad; he was never close to any member of his family period, but he would say he was the closest with his dad. Lemon rubbed his eyes and suppressed a small yawn. "Welcome to your home-away-from-home!"

"How long was I out?" Lemon yawned, stretching his back and unbuckling his seatbelt. His legs were still, probably from the lack of movement the last few hours or so. His dad moved to get out of the car, easily sliding out with so little as a groan in protest. He made a comment about how old his bones were, which made Lemon laugh. He looked around, as if trying to scope out Dian. It's not like he missed him, Lemon was just curious as to where the tall man went. 

"About a few hours, is what Dian said." His father moved around the truck, closing the doors on his way around. He motioned for Lemon to make his way towards the house, which in turn led Lemon to finally look at it. It was a small one-story house, with a front garage and a somewhat modern design. He figured dad must've renovated it, for the rest of the houses along the street weren't as nice looking. It was a simple grey color, something that screamed boring and basic. The yard was small, not even that impressive, it gave off a vibe of a man who just moved here who wanted to not look like a total weirdo in front of his new neighbors. There was a big window that showed the living room, which Lemon hummed at. They made their way towards the door, his father gripping the doorknob as if he were hesitating. Which Lemon thought was weird, this was his house after all. "I'm sorry I never told you about Dian, these past few months have escaped me." He began, looking over to Lemon with apologetic eyes. "Whatcha think of him?"

"He's fine, we didn't talk much." Was a terrible answer to a father who wanted approval of his new boyfriend from a son he moved away from. But Lemon couldn't think of what else to say, he had only just met the man. he shifted awkwardly on his foot, as if to signal his uncomfortableness in the cold. "I don't dislike him, if that's what you were looking for."

"That's all i ask for..." His dad had snorted, opening the door and letting Lemon out of the cold. It was a simple house, nothing too grand and nothing too garish. It was just a house you'd see a single, middle-aged man having. Lemon didn't think he should've complimented the house décor, and he was hoping his father didn't ask him to.

He took off his shoes and followed his dad into the kitchen where a girl roughly a few years younger sat at the island in the middle. Her hair was big, like some sort of cloud, Lemon thought a thundercloud best suited her. She was scrolling through her phone, occasionally stopping to write a response to something Lemon couldn't really make out. She had circular glasses, with a thick frame, and ring-covered fingers. Her entire persona looked calm, and as if she knew exactly who she was. She looked over to him, a small glance before looking back down at her phone. His dad had cleared his throat, as if to get her attention. She looked back up, blinking a few times before gasping. "Oh! I'm sorry it totally hadn't registered with me that you were there!" She shyly responded looking at Lemon with honey eyes, they were almost golden. Lemon had wondered if it was sarcasm or if the girl actually meant it, but looking into her eyes he thought the latter. 

"This is Aphrodite, Dian's daughter." Lemon's dad began, pointing towards the girl. _Aphrodite_. It was a unique name, the same name as the Greek goddess of love and beauty. Lemon waved slowly, still running a scanning test on the girl. She looked kind, kinder than most kids her age. She waved back with just as much shyness as his, which made Lemon crack a small smile. "Dian and her are gonna spend dinner with us tonight. To celebrate your arrival."

Ah. That made him pretty nervous. He never enjoyed days dedicated to him, dinners were no exception. He had begun to nervously fidget with his fingers, a habit he did while nervous. Was Aphrodite in the same boat as him? He wondered if her parents divorced as well, maybe they would get along better because they were in the same situation. Aphrodite caught his eye again as she began to speak, "I, uh, go by Effie." She nervously laughed, twirling her curly hair in her hand. So she too had a nickname, it made him feel not as awkward.

"I go by Lemon." He responded, nodding in her direction. Hopefully Effie would want to be friends, maybe this summer wouldn't be so terrible if he knew at least one person.

"Lemon's a sick nickname!" Effie exclaimed, startling the two a bit. "I guess we both have nicknames, what are your pronouns?"

 _Pronouns?_ Lemon had never thought about pronouns before, as he looked to his dad. Did she ask everyone for them? He didn't want to come off as offensive in any way, he just didn't know what to say. "uh.. he..." 

That caused Effie to smile giddily, and Lemon was ready to dig a whole and bury himself. She set her phone down, getting out of her seat and marching over towards him. She held her hand out with a comforting smile, "Well hello Lemon Maxwell with 'he' pronouns. I'm Effie Viotto with 'she/they' pronouns." Effie spoke like she was so confident in what she was saying, like she had memorized every word out of her mouth. It took Lemon a second to register the last part, she uses "they" pronouns too. 

"Ah, that's cool. Nice to meet you..." Lemon shook their hand, making a mental not of all the information given to him. He looked over to see his dad smiling at him. That was weird, he had only shook the girl's hand.

"Look at you two, already friends!" He practically cooed, causing Lemon to groan and Effie to laugh. Dian had then entered through the garage, carrying a few bags in his hands. Both his dad and Effie rushed to help in carry things, with Dian commenting about how there's more in the trunk. "Lemon, go help get the ones in the truck please." 

He had followed Effie out into the second car, a sleeker car than the old truck. Effie had opened the trunk with keys as she helped Lemon grab bags. "Y'know, you are a lot like your dad said you'd be." 

"is that a bad thing?" Lemon worried, looking over to see Effie laughing. He couldn't help it, he had no idea who these people were and his dad had talked about him? He had talked about him enough for Effie to already know what he'd be like? He hadn't even known his dad had friends in this new town. He nervously took the bags, while Effie began talking.

"Nah, I don't think so." They began, taking the rest of the bags and closing the door with her foot. Lemon thought it was badass. "I think it makes you not a total stranger."

"But you guys are complete strangers to me..." Lemon had forced a laugh. He didn't want to admit to the girl he just met how scared he was for meeting new people. He was told he could be judge-y and really hard to get to know. 

Effie had looked over with a sympathetic smile, pausing by the doorway to comment, "It has been a hectic few months." 

"I guess so," He had whispered, following Effie back out into the kitchen. There stood his dad and Dian laughing and talking like they had known each other for years. Lemon thought back to that one comment made about how his dad was the only other gay man around. It must've been lonely for Dian...

\----------------

The dinner was great, Dian and Effie had cooked because both Lemon and his dad could barely cook an already made pizza. Lemon was pushed to eat more, which was better than talking he decided. He enjoyed listening to his dad laugh at Effie's jokes or how he looked at Dian with that fond smile on his face. They seemed so in synch, so perfect for each other. He tried to think about the last time his father had looked at someone like that, he had never looked at his mom like that. It was a small smile if anything, he had barley laughed around her too. It was like Lemon's mother was the poison to his dad's wellbeing. He seemed so much happier here, it made him think he was never happy around his own family. He never tried to get close to Lemon on days when he didn't have Lemon. It made him sad, maybe he was part of the problem? Effie was able to make him laugh again; his father was clearly in love with Dian.

It irked him, Lemon had always wanted to fall in love. He had girlfriends in the past, but none of them really got anywhere. Their hands didn't fit well in his when he held them, they seemed too small or too distant. His heart would never skip beyond a few beats, and he always lost the connection after a few weeks. Many girls in the past had told him he just didn't care enough about dating, or about them in general. Lemon would just scoff, it wasn't like he didn't care for them, they just never piqued his interest. After a while he thought something must've been wrong with him, that it was his fault he couldn't fall in love with anyone. Which slowly turned into him believing he'd never find the one, or that he'd never fall in love period. He told himself he was okay with it, and maybe he believed himself for a while, but they way his dad looked at Dian made his hear ache. How is it that someone could look at another person like that? And someone he had only met a few months ago, it made Lemon sick. No, not sick. It made Lemon jealous. 

Lemon guessed he was staring too long because his dad had said something he couldn't bother to pay attention to at the moment. He snapped out of his thoughts, blinking a bit before looking fully at his father. "You say something?' That was rude. That sounded rude. 

"You just looked a little tired, bud, i guess there is a time difference..." He added, nodding towards Dian as if to get clarification. Why was he looking towards Dian? Dian didn't live in California, how was he supposed to know? 

"Yea, I guess I'm just tired." Lemon answered instead, yawning a bit. He was a bit tired, but the small name in the truck served him a few extra hours that he desperately needed to get through dinner. Effie had nodded, kindly taking his place and hers, walking over with the two to place them in the sink. He had whispered a 'thank you' which in return got a 'no problem' from the other.

"If you're tired, I'll set ya up in the loft." His dad offered, standing up and taking his plate to the sink. Dian had whined about how 'he didn't take his too!' which made Lemon snicker quietly. He then thought about what his dad had meant; a loft? "It's upstairs," 

An upstairs? Lemon didn't think there was an upstairs... it was just a tiny one-story... "There's an upstairs?"

"Well, kinda... there's a latter to a loft which holds a small bedroom." His dad explained, pointing upwards like Lemon knew what he was talking about. "Here, I'll show you." Lemon nodded, following his father away from the dinner table. He called his goodnights to Effie and Dian as they disappeared down the hallway.

"Where do Dian and Effie sleep?" Lemon asked, as his dad pointed to the ladder in the living room. He looked up seeing an opening with a railing. Ah, that must be it. 

"Oh, they don't stay here." His dad explained, chuckling a bit. "We might be dating, be we still wanna take things slow." 

"Oh." Lemon responded, obviously flustered. "That makes sense..." Of course they wouldn't be sleeping together, they had only been together for a few months! Lemon suddenly wanted to disappear into the wall and never come back out. He looked towards the latter. "I, uh, I guess I'll head up."

"Alrighty squirt," His dad ruffled Lemon's curly hair, making Lemon's face scrunch up. "The bathroom is down here, be careful when coming down." Lemon had nodded, watching his dad walk back towards the dining room. This place didn't have a door? Lemon began to worry about if he was able to get some privacy, but realized how quiet his dad was and how he had headphones. He'll be fine, Effie and Dian won't be here every day. He checked out the room, with it's triangular shape and minimalistic aesthetic. His father wasn't big on decorating, that much he knew, but maybe he could go to the store and buy a few things to spice this place up? His luggage was already up here, and he decided to abandon the question of 'how did they get it up here?' before it got anywhere. 

He sat on the bed, which was right in the middle, and looked around. Grey walls and wooden floors, a small bookshelf on the right, and a small tv in the left corner near the railing. Nothing special, nothing to awe about. But, Lemon still liked it. It looked as if it just needed someone to fill it. Lemon decided to be that person, at least for the summer.

The bed was warm, sheets smelled fresh, and the pillow was comfy. Lemon had felt bad that no one was able to put this bed to good use, it was still pretty stiff from being so new. But Lemon was able to make it work. His body seemed so tired, so exhausted from the activities he did. His eyes began to droop as he slowly succumbed himself to sleep,

\----------------

The sun rose with a screech, like a rooster was right in Lemon's ear. For one, his dad had a loud ass alarm that buzzed around 4 in the morning. He had almost forgotten about the latter and nearly faceplanted on the floor when it went off, calling for his dad. He had thought there was a fire and it set off the fire alarm. Lemon almost wished it were a fire alarm, because now his adrenaline is pumping and he had no release to it. His dad had apologized, saying how he forgot to disable his alarm. Lemon huffed in a response and tried to go back to sleep. Secondly, Effie came early to say hi before going out. Lemon didn't know why she had to come over to say hi, it wasn't like they were close or anything. Which Effie snorted at, they had made a comment about how 'Lemon's family now.' which made Lemon uncomfortable. Lemon wasn't family; they had barely met, why is Effie making such a big fuss? Lemon had also found out that Effie was _older_ than him. Which in no way did he believe; the girl was shorter and looked younger than him. But she was, in fact, going off to look at colleges.

He had then went to bed again, trying to get some sort of sleep... before there was a knocking at the door. His dad was able to get soundly back to sleep, which Lemon envied greatly. Getting up with a sigh and climbing down from the loft, Lemon stumbled towards the door to see someone he hadn't recognize. A boy a bit taller than him, with an almost babyface and kind eyes. He had curly red hair that reminded Lemon of a bonfire. The boy knocked again, and went back to waiting. What was he doing here? Did his dad know this boy? Lemon ran out of time to think before he opened the door. The boy was in a short-sleeved shirt and joggers, which made Lemon gasp. He slammed his hand over his mouth as the other laughed. Something about that laugh stirred something inside of his stomach. He felt weird, not sick, just _weird_. 

"You're Mr. Choi's kid right?" The boy began, giving Lemon a blinding smile. Oh. It made sense for people to call his dad by his actual surname, he wouldn't go by his mother's. Lemon hadn't heard it in forever though, he almost thought the boy was talking about someone entirely different. The boy's voice was light, nothing too deep yet but just getting there, like a snail slowly inching towards the finishing line. Lemon decided--without thinking-- that he liked it.

"O-oh yea," Lemon found himself stuttering, like the words were caught between his teeth. He didn't know why he was nervous to talk to him; he was always nervous to talk to new people, but this was somehow different. Lemon had never worried about what people thought about him, he always acted like he did around new people and just decided the people will decide for themselves. This time was different. Lemon was sweating for no reason, he desperately wanted to say something cool. He wanted to _look_ cool in front of him.

He chuckled, running a hand through his fiery-red hair. The kind of fiery-red hair that glowed in the sun like a torch lit to help lost soldiers return home. His chuckle was deeper than his actual voice, making Lemon feel weird. "Well i have a small package for you." It didn't even occur to Lemon why the boy was here. Lemon looked down at his feet to find the 'package' the boy was talking about. It seemed to be something homemade, wrapped nicely like it was a present. 

"Oh. Uh-" God Lemon was a fucking coward, nervously propped against the door frame like he was doing something. He was curious about what was in the package, and it hadn't occurred to him to actually pick it up until the boy handed it to him. Lemon blushed, taking the cold packaging in his hands. "Uh, thanks. What's uh- what's in it?"

"My mom made a special quilt for one of the women who was in the hospital. She had no real family, and my mom wanted to make her something." He explained, fondly smiling when talking about his mother. He looked like a mamas boy, someone completely devoted to their mother's beck and call. Lemon would never be a mamas boy, not like there was anything wrong with it. He hated how his mother acted like she knew everything, like she was Albert fucking Einstein. 

"That's nice of her." He smiled, this woman sounded like a good woman. Like the mother of a community, the one you call when you're sick and in need of some soup. She sounded like the one to run the soup kitchen, or lead the prayer group in church. Now that Lemon looked at the boy, he did look like he grew up Christian... "I'm sorry, i never got your name!"

"oh, It's Alistar," He laughed, holding his hand out. Lemon noticed all of the freckles he had on his tan skin. _Alistar._ It was a cute name, One that rolled off his tongue like a wave in the ocean. Something about it made him feel jittery, something about _him_ made him jittery. "Alistar Garcia."

Lemon shook his hand, _Alistar's_ hand, praying his palms weren't sweaty. He pulled his hand away quickly, not wanting to risk it for the biscuit. Alistar had smiled at him with a blindingly bright smile, like he was the sun or something. Lemon decided he couldn't look at it any longer, "I'm Lemon."

"That's a sick name! Your parent's had good taste!" Alistar laughed, and Lemon realized he was staring. He quickly set the box inside the house making a comment to 'tell his dad' before looking back over to the boy.

"It's a nickname, my parents named me something else..." Lemon explained, hoping he wasn't boring this fiery boy to death. Alistar however, looked incredibly interested. He rolled on the heels of his feet, and leaned in to listen intently. "My real name was 'Lennon', a lot of kids couldn't say it correctly..."

"Aw c'mon, that couldn't be the only reason!" Alistar insisted, crossing his arms over his chest. He seemed determined to get the full answer, and Lemon wasn't going t deny him that. 

"Do you want to step inside? i couldn't help but notice how chilly it is in the mornings..." Lemon offered, begging deep down for a yes. The other smiled brightly and began to step inside, making Lemon's insides quake. It was like a teenage girl sneaking in her edgy boyfriend who always questioned authority to her house without waking up her parents. But, his dad knew Alistar. So it should be okay.

He suddenly didn't know how to act, this wasn't his house after all. What was he supposed to say? Was he supposed to offer the other a drink? He was new here; The streets and houses were built different here, the signs were different, everything was different. He didn't know how the town worked, they probably worked like a well oiled machine, something that had no room for new people. Lemon was new, he didn't fit. He was the puzzle piece too big and too round to really be useful anywhere. Alistar was different, his entire demeanor was different. He fit, he was that puzzle piece in the middle; the one with something important on it, something with a face or flower on it. Lemon didn't know how he was supposed to talk to someone who looked and acted as cool as Alistar, or like Effie. These people in Maine knew exactly what they wanted to be and where they fit. Maybe it was the blessing of the small town? These people all fit in perfectly with each other; they grew up as next-door neighbors after all. It made Lemon's palms itch, an itch that is just under your skin that you can't reach. He didn't know what to say, or even who to be. 

Suddenly he was talking, "To be honest, i got the nickname because i used to be able to eat lemon slices." he laughed awkwardly. He remembered the sour juice running down his chin as his father scolded him for eating almost the entire thing. His mother would complain about how Lemon got the juice on her new dress, and how it was completely ruined. Lemon used to eat lemons like it were chocolate; it was cool to watch the kids marvel at his eating, then run off screaming. He was called "sour-mouth" for a while, because a girl named Delany kissed him and screamed about how sour his lips were. He remembered how girls were scared to kiss him, scared they'd have to taste the sourness of him. Boys would dare the girls to try and kiss him, but none of them were able to do it. Lemon didn't let them, he hated when kids mocked him for liking lemons so much. He still liked them, but more as accents instead of the whole thing. He had to stop himself from eating them, too scared people would never fall in love with him because of it. Which was stupid, now that he thought about it, but it didn't stop him from worrying. 

Alistar had begun laughing, and Lemon suddenly didn't know what to do. His heart began to pick up and he quickly looked to the ground. Why was Alistar laughing at him? What did he do? Was his story too weird for him? He suddenly felt all of his thoughts slamming the walls of his skull in a type of urgency Lemon couldn't quite grasp. He didn't know if Maine had suddenly decided to heat up, or if he was just sweating from his nerves, but either option sounded terrible right now. he couldn't handle it, feeling judged ever second longer he stood there. "You used to eat lemons? Like straight up, just Lemons?" 

It sounded like mocking, like Alistar was mocking him. Except he didn't seem like it, keeping his hands to himself and that _damn gleaming smile_ his. But you don't need to be pointing and laughing to make fun of someone. "Yea. What about it?" Lemon suddenly found himself getting defense, like Alistar triggered his fight-or-flight response. 

"I'm sorry," He was apologizing, wiping his eyes from the tears that weren't there. Alistar was apologizing. Granted, the apology featured Alistar still chuckling and snickering at Lemon. But it was better than anything else. "That just sounds so badass." 

Badass? Lemon scoffed, digging his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. The words seemed fake, something that Lemon didn't want to believe. "What's so badass about it?" He had never been called badass before, that was reserved for guys with motorbikes and sleeves of tattoos up to their necks that still think mullets are cool. 

"I mean they're lemons! They're so sour!" Alistar shot back, still as cheery as ever.

"Maybe you're just a pussy." Lemon mumbled, before realizing he had said that out loud. Oh god, just bury him in the backyard to never be seen again. Maybe he'll end up on Buzzfeed's "Unsolved Mysteries," to then only realize he was just in his own backyard.

"Maybe i am." Alistar laughed, awkwardly patting Lemon on the back. "But seriously dude, that's a killer nickname." 

Lemon didn't know how to take that, Alistar's hand was on him and suddenly he felt ten times hotter. It was weird, like goosebumps marching across his skin to make a statement. The sun was on his back, like a warm tickle to say hello, a sign of welcome. Lemon decided he liked it. 

As soon as it came, Alistar's hand was gone. It was like the sun was hidden behind clouds, taking all of it's warmth with him. "T-Thanks." He nervously whispered, unsure of what to really say. 

"So where do you usually live?" Personal. Alistar seemed like the kind that never had secrets between his friends and family, as if he felt physical pain from keeping them. It was like the heart under the floorboard, or whatever that Poe guy wrote about. He was the definition of an open-book, and Lemon was a reader.

"I live in Cali." 

"Is it sunny there?" Alistar asked, like a little kid excited to hear about a fantasy land. Lemon almost scoffed, he seemed so innocent. It was a small town, it makes sense for him to be innocent, there aren't that many people here.

Lemon smiled, "Always."

Alistar grinned at that, probably daydreaming on what it looks like. "I bet it's nice at the beaches?"

"It gets pretty hot, i usually go back a few shades darker." Lemon admitted, looking at his skin as it is. He probably won't get as bad of a tan, it was colder up here anyways. But looking at Alistar's skin, he was pretty sure he could tan. It wasn't like Lemon wanted to, sitting in the sun usually bored him. But if his skin could look as free and as adventurous as Alistar's, he might want to try it. The freckles dotted his skin like the markings of a map leading someone to the treasure at the end, like someone who was ready to hike the mountain right before him. Paired with his fire hair, Lemon could conclude he was a free spirit, one that kids would want to talk to but think were too cool to actually initiate conversation with. He was sunny, Lemon decided. That was probably the best way he could describe the other.

"I bet!" Alistar giggled, "It doesn't get that hot around here, so not really a good opportunity to get a tan." He confessed, smile rolling on his face with ease. It was like he came out of the womb smiling, all bubbly and giddy. It was beautiful, the creases around his mouth real proof of his abilities. He was that one kid in high school all the girls fall for because of his intoxicating smile, he probably had a girlfriend. 

"Really? Well it's not like I was planning on getting one." Lemon smiled back, lips tight from the lack of usage. His smile probably looked said, the one you get out of pity even. The kind that kids would think you were mad at them, kind of smile. He had always thought his smile was dull, like the rest of him. Something about the other boy had made him so desperate to smile, to look cool, to be friends, it almost scared Lemon. 

"Yea, i guess you don't need one!" That was also true, and Lemon felt himself laughing along with the boy. Alistar lasted longer than Lemon, which Lemon wasn't at all surprised by. He seemed like the kind who enjoyed a good laugh, barking about the most random things and enjoying the flow of the conversation. He admired that about the other, finding it cute and even a bit endearing. He didn't seem like the kind who could fake a laugh, each one sounded genuine and real. It made Lemon feel funnier himself, like he was benefitting off of Alistar's contagious attitude.

He must've woken up his dad, because he sleepily joined them in the hallway. They both quit laughing, looking up to greet the other. Alistar quickly handed the package Lemon forgot about to him, explaining who it was for. His dad had thanked him, bringing it to the kitchen to set it down. Lemon looked back to catching Alistar's eyes again. "I guess i gotta head out." Alistar began, and Lemon's smile dropped. Ah, right. He was probably busy. "I just wanted to make sure your dad got the package." That made Lemon frown slightly, thinking about how Alistar only stayed to make sure his dad got it really lowered his mood. Of course he wasn't that special to stay for, the other barely knew him. 

Either way, Lemon had nodded. "Yea, that makes sense..." He fiddled with his sleeves again, suddenly feeling a lot shyer now that he was going. Alistar seemed to notice because there was a fine line on his face in replace of his smile. Lemon suddenly wanted it back. "It was nice to meet you." That was polite, he could work with that.

"Are you free tomorrow?" Alistar blurted, as if he was nervous to say it. But why would he be shy? He didn't seem like the type to get butterflies in his stomach or avert eye contact when it just became to unbearable at that point. He seemed like the kind that pushed though, the one that charged the mountain. It was out of place, but Lemon didn't know him. He didn't know anything about Alistar except for his smile. Why was he acting like he was special? He was suddenly distracted from the question.

"W-What?" Lemon was stuttering now, great.

"Are you free tomorrow?" Alistar said again, rubbing the back of his head. "There's this farmers market my mom helps out at, and i think it would be ok if i brought a friend." Lemon almost short-circuited. A friend? Alistar thought of him as a friend and yet it brought a blush to to Lemon's face.

"O-Okay!" He was mumbling, already excited for tomorrow.

"Sweet!" Alistar beamed, moving to put on his shoes again. He was still looking at Lemon when he tied them up and grabbed the door handle, the dumb smile never leaving his face. "I'll see you then!" 

And he was gone. Okay. Tomorrow. Lemon had plans tomorrow. 

And his heart was already buzzing from excitement.

\--------------

**Author's Note:**

> I HOPE YOU LIKE IT AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  
> i have no idea what i'm doing.


End file.
